Predicting polymeric membrane morphologies by coupling experimental and modeling approaches – SIMUMEM

The membrane fabrication relies on a costly trial and errors approach yet. The process  is based on the combination of phase separation (PS) and transport of mass and heat. Theoretical models that are currently used  lack the description of three key points: viscoelasticity, ternary effects and multiphysics modeling (hydrodynamics, mass transfer, PS). We will build theoretical and experimental tools that take into account those coupled and complex phenomena. Our model will be able to predict membrane morphologies and control detrimental phenomena such as macrovoid formation or the apparition of thick dense layers. The numerics will be compared with experiments using confocal microscopy that can follow the time evolution of morphologies in 3D during the PS and the numerical model will be adapted to be usable on a routine basis in the framework of a numerical code such as COMSOL Multiphysics®.